Q: We are excited about our recent purchase and very curious about its origin. We bought it at an auction sale on the Niagara Peninsula and paid $250. We think it’s French. It’s 33 by 25 by 26 centimetres and the hinged top, front, and sides swing up and out. The inside tray is removable and has three thick glasses and a decanter with gold or brass filigree. It also has eight silver mini goblets. The brass lock plate is marked “6 Rue Chapon, Paris.”

Rick, Elora

A: This is a French liqueur cabinet, known as a cave à liqueur, and your instincts are correct: it was most likely made around 1875 by L. Boutigny in Paris, France.

It features a fancy brass inlay known as “boulle” work, underlain with red foil-backed tortoiseshell. The case is ebonized rosewood, and the lifting and folding mechanics of the front and top of the box may have been a trademark of the maker.

There would originally have been four matching decanters and a dozen drinking glasses, most likely glass with gilding. I suspect the silver metal drinking glasses you have are not original.

These boxes are very rare and desirable and, as is, it’s worth about $950. Complete, it would run closer to $1,500 or more.

A white ash sideboard is a classic example of Eastlake-style Arts and Crafts furniture.Ottawa Citizen

Q: This sideboard came with a St. Andrews/Cornwall area farm we purchased in 1950. It’s almost 200 cm high and 117 cm wide and comes apart in two pieces, with the mirrored top and shelf as one unit. The keyhole surrounds seem to have trim broken off, and the wood on the back of the base is very rough, although the front and drawers are well finished and detailed. It seems to be made of several types of wood, and while it has a strong grain, it is not as pronounced as oak. Can you tell me anything about its history?

Mary, Ottawa

A: You have a classic piece of Eastlake-style Arts and Crafts furniture, recognizable by the incised carving on the facing panels, the geometric and organic decorative motifs, and the linear moulded reeding.

The style is named for English architect, furniture designer and writer Charles Locke Eastlake, who helped establish a fashion for simple but practical furniture with minimal decoration. The round dovetails of the drawer side suggest an industrial, rather than hand-crafted, production, likely dating to sometime after 1890.

A similar sideboard was retailed by Eaton’s of Canada in 1895 (when rent for a six-room house in Toronto could be as low as $6 a month) for about $15. In today’s soft furniture market, despite its good condition, your white-ash sideboard is worth only about $650.

Your best bet might be to restore the keyhole escutcheons and mirror, and enjoy its beauty yourself.

This kerosene oil night lamp is quite rare and worth about $500.Ottawa Citizen

Q: This little lamp was bought by my great-grandmother in the St. Jacobs area, and has been passed down to me. The brass burner and collar have never been polished. It stands 20 cm high and is in perfect shape other than some roughness around the shade’s lower edge. I’m curious about its history and value.

Jean, New Hamburg

A: You have quite a treasure. This miniature lamp was originally sold as a “night lamp,” and was also made in clear, yellow and decorated milk glass.

It was made by Consolidated Lamp & Glass Co. of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, around 1900. The pattern is referred to as “Cosmos” by today’s collectors, but was originally advertised as “Daisy.”

The roughness around the wide rim of the shade is original — the factory actually moulded two shades together at once, and cut them in half. It’s quite nice to see it with the old chimney and all the untouched parts, especially the spider shade holder.

These kerosene oil lamps are quite rare, and yours is worth about $500.

John Sewell is an antiques and fine art appraiser. To submit an item to his column, go to the Contact John page at johnsewellantiques.ca. Please measure your piece, say when and how you got it, what you paid and list any identifying marks. A high-resolution jpeg photo must also be included. (Only email submissions accepted.) Appraisal values are estimates only.

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